Latest news with #StephenTotilo
Engadget
19-06-2025
- Business
- Engadget
ZeniMax and Microsoft ratify union agreement
Members of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union have ratified the contract agreement with parent company Microsoft. This agreement with the union representing the video game studio's quality assurance employees marks the first time Microsoft has entered into any union contract in the US. ZeniMax Studios is probably best known for its work on The Elder Scrolls Online . Stephen Totilo first reported on this news; we've reached out to Microsoft and the Communications Workers of America for additional comment. As with many organizing efforts, this step has been a long time coming. The group of employees voted to unionize in 2023, and Microsoft immediately recognized ZeniMax Workers United-CWA following the vote results. Microsoft also made its policy of neutrality toward union organizing at ZeniMax official in 2024. The QA workers from ZeniMax and Microsoft reached a tentative contract this May. The contract includes provisions for wage increases and minimum salaries, as well as industry-specific content such as a clearer crediting policy recognizing the role of QA and protections for the employees regarding use of AI.
The Verge
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
The Switch 2's promising start hides an uncertain future
With the Switch 2 launch days away, analysts and consumers are watching to see how well Nintendo can follow-up the best selling home console in its history. Judging from the pain of trying to secure a Switch 2 pre-order, it seems like Nintendo has nothing to worry about – at least at launch. Down the line, however, concerns about tariffs, a steadily rising cost of living, and a saturated market might cast a shadow on the Switch 2. The Verge talked to analysts, journalists, and normal video game playing people to put the Switch 2 launch in perspective. The key takeaway? While the console will assuredly have another blockbuster debut, its future looks much less certain. The Wii U gets brought up a lot in the conversation surrounding the Switch 2, as it's the most famous example of a Nintendo failure. 'The Wii U, with its confusing controller-screen gimmick, sluggish user interface, and lack of a great Custom Robo game, was one of Nintendo's worst flops,' GameFile author Stephen Totilo explained in an email to The Verge. It sold less than 14 million units, a dramatic drop from the Wii, which sold over 100 million. And while Nintendo expects to sell one million more Switch 2 units in its first year than the Wii U sold in its life, that's not necessarily indicative of long-term success. 'The Wii U nevertheless sold out at launch back in November 2012,' Totilo said, 'pulling in sales that reportedly topped the US launch sales of the Xbox 360 and PS3.' When looking at launch sales projections and predictions, Mat Piscatella, video game analyst for Circana, warned that what a console does during its launch period is no indication of what it'll do overall. 'Sales around the launch period are more reflection of available supply than anything,' Piscatella said. Another, more important factor for a console launch is the audience. 'With anything regarding gaming right now, we have to separate the enthusiast market from the mass market, because they're behaving very differently,' Piscatella added. According to Piscatella, it's the enthusiasts driving most of the Switch 2 hype we're seeing, particularly since the last major console launches – the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S – happened five years ago. 'We haven't had new hardware designed for the masses in a long time,' he said. 'So we have a big pent up demand just for something new.' We're seeing part of that demand satisfied by the Switch 2 pre-order frenzy. The day pre-orders opened in the US (after a few weeks' delay because of President Donald Trump's tariff chicanery) they sold out within hours. GameStop held in-store pre order events that saw people lining up outside storefronts for hours to secure one. But what will really determine the success of the console is how the bigger, mass market reacts, the same one that made devices like the Wii and original Switch such hits. Piscatella says this group is biding its time right now, 'leaning into free-to-play and the content they already have.' It's a tricky time for the industry. New blockbuster titles are getting ever more expensive to make. Consumers, in turn, are buying fewer of them in favor of spending their time and money in established games, all while persistent layoffs three years running are making it harder for new games to come out on time. Add that to 2025's unique and volatile US tariff situation and the associated price increases, and now is one hell of a time to launch a video game console. 'A games console is for a lot of people [...] an unaffordable luxury, especially for families,' said Keza MacDonald, video game editor at The Guardian and author of a forthcoming book about Nintendo's history. MacDonald believes that most people who want a Switch 2 will have already pre-ordered one and that Nintendo's real work will be to convince everyone else they want one too – a job the company doesn't seem to be doing that well. Silvie Krekow, a gamer who works at Vox Media as a creative director, says she knows 'almost nothing' about the Switch 2. She doesn't frequent gaming websites or consume gaming media, but she noted it was odd that 'a 33-year-old gamer with disposable income who owns a Switch, PS4, and Xbox One' didn't casually come across at least some Switch 2 information. Other colleagues and self-described 'gaming casuals' I spoke to expressed similar sentiments. According to MacDonald, Nintendo is handling this launch period very conservatively. 'It's like, 'We know everyone's going to buy this anyway. We don't have to sell you on it,'' she said. 'But I'm not sure if that's true.' At the Switch 2 Direct in April, Nintendo showed off a console with some slight quality-of-life and performance upgrades. That may work for the enthusiasts – they get more of what they already liked about the original. But without something more to entice consumers beyond the diehards, the Switch 2 may struggle to find its audience. 'As for the [Switch 2 features] I'm not particularly excited,' said Kushal Raval, an operations manager at Vox Media. 'The rolling controller sounds interesting, but the voice chat feature seems a bit pointless.' Kushal owns a Switch, which he said didn't run games like Fortnite as well as he wanted. And while the Switch 2's technical upgrades will likely improve this, Kushal said, 'With a $450–$500 price tag, I'm leaning much more toward getting a Steam Deck.' The Switch 2 also has to compete against people content with its predecessor. 'I have a Switch Lite that I bought during the pandemic,' said Jackie Noack, a video producer at Vox Media. 'My husband has the Switch 1, and I don't think we use them quite enough to justify replacing them.' For Noack, the console's price is also a major factor. '$500 does seem steep to me!' The Switch 2 will not be a dud like the Wii U, but it likely will not reach the heights of the original Switch. The price and lack of defining new features are two reasons, but perhaps the biggest is that the circumstances that fostered the OG Switch's success were incredibly unique. 'The Switch really picked up during the pandemic with Animal Crossing. That was an enormous hit,' MacDonald said. 'And obviously that was such a unique combination of circumstances, I'm not sure that could happen again.' Piscatella agrees: 'The Switch is an outlier success. I think [the Switch 2] is unlikely to do Switch numbers in the long term.' The lead up to the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been filled with so much built-up pressure from the anticipation of hungry gamers eager for any news, which was exacerbated by prolific leaks and Nintendo's typical propensity for silence. With the console's official reveal and the enthusiastic response from dedicated fans, that pressure could not be higher – and with launch coming next week, the release valve is finally about to open.
Engadget
10-05-2025
- Engadget
Nintendo grants itself the power to brick Switches with pirated games
Nintendo's latest legal move to combat piracy may be super effective. According to a new change in the Nintendo User Agreement, the console maker can brick your Switch, or render it useless, if it's found with pirated games or mods. While some people may have glazed over the changes since Nintendo didn't make this a major announcement, Game File 's Stephen Totilo dug through the changes and spotted the major updates. In Nintendo's own words, you shouldn't "bypass, modify, decrypt, defeat, tamper with, or otherwise circumvent any of the functions or protections of the Nintendo Account Services." The company's previous agreement only prohibited if you "adapt, reverse-engineer, or modify a Nintendo user account," but this updated language gives exact definitions of what you can't do with your Switch. If you do break these rules, Nintendo could make your "applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part." In plain English, that means if you're found with an emulator or pirated copies of games, your Switch might just end up being a very expensive paperweight. This latest legal leap isn't surprising considering Nintendo's strict stance on emulation. In March 2024, the company filed a lawsuit against the popular Switch emulator called Yuzu claiming that the developers were facilitating piracy. Later that year, another emulator called Ryujinx shut down after Nintendo offered an agreement to the development team to discontinue the project in October. This latest user agreement update comes on the heels of the upcoming release of the Switch 2 that's planned for June 5.
Tom's Guide
09-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
Nintendo is getting ahead of Switch 2 pirates with a new warning against unauthorized use — what you need to know
A new update to to the Nintendo Account Agreement includes a strongly-worded warning against "unauthorized use," which appears to be a strong attempt to prevent piracy and emulation. If you have a Nintendo account, you should have received an email with a link to the updated policy. Game File's Stephen Totilo spotted the updated wording in the "License for Digital Products" section of the agreement. "You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the foregoing restrictions Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part," the agreement now reads. As a comparison, here is what the agreement used to say there: "You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the foregoing restrictions Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part." It's pretty intense, and as we've seen with various legal cases and cease and desists from Nintendo, not too surprising that the company would go after those who hack or modify its consoles or games or run emulators. Bricking your console if you get caught pirating games is quite the step. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Additionally, the Nintendo Account Privacy Policy has been altered. It appears both policies are being updated ahead of the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the new GameChat feature. The Privacy policy now says that Nintendo will have the ability to record video and voice chats stored on your console, if you consent to it. According to the policy, this is meant for people who encounter "language or behavior that may violate applicable laws" to ensure a "safe and family-friendly online environment." Game Chat basically adds a Zoom or Skype-element to the Switch 2 that lets you video chat with other gamers while playing.
Arab News
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Europe games industry on edge as ‘Assassin's Creed' hits shelves
PARIS: Thursday's release of action-adventure epic 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' marks a make-or-break moment not just for struggling French games heavyweight Ubisoft, but for the entire European gaming ecosystem. With its almost 18,000 employees and global footprint, Ubisoft has nevertheless suffered one setback after another in recent years with disappointing releases, a dwindling stock price, harassment allegations against former bosses and repeated strikes. The company is falling back on its longtime major money-spinner 'Assassin's Creed' to pull it from the doldrums, this time with an episode set in medieval Japan. 'I've never seen things this way' as the whole European industry looks to Ubisoft, Midcap Partners analyst Charles-Louis Planade told AFP ahead of the launch. More than 17 Ubisoft studios employing hundreds have poured five years of work into 'Shadows,' with an estimated budget running into hundreds of millions of euros. Early reviews have been positive, with the game receiving a 'generally favorable' score of 81/100 on review aggregation site Metacritic. That was one point higher than 'Valhalla,' the 2020 release that has so far been the high point of the series' profitability. The latest instalment 'looks better and plays better than nearly any other entry in Ubisoft's 18-year-old series,' American games journalist Stephen Totilo wrote on his website Game File. Meanwhile, gaming site IGN's review of 'Shadows' said it 'sharpens and refines (the series') edge without fully reforging it.' 'Shadows' was partly developed at Ubisoft's studio in Quebec City, Canada. The artistic director of Ubisoft-Quebec, Thierry Dansereau, told AFP at a launch event in the city that the company's 'developers did everything they could to create the best game possible.' A lack of major changes to the game's mechanics could risk 'leaving some players worn out,' said Julien Pillot, an economist specializing in the cultural industries. He suggested that Ubisoft's recent underwhelming releases 'may be a sign that audiences are falling out of love with its games.' Nevertheless, Planade said that 'everyone is crossing their fingers for this release to be a huge success.' He said a poor sales showing could provoke a knock-on effect across the entire industry, noting that in France alone, Ubisoft accounts for almost one-third of the country's 15,000 jobs in games development In a social media post, Ubisoft said the release appeared to be a success. 'It's not even 4PM here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!' the company said on X. Many budding creators pass through Ubisoft after completing their training, while former employees have founded new studios in France and around the world. The company in 2023 launched a cost-cutting drive including studio closures and almost 2,000 layoffs. The belt-tightening did not save Ubisoft from judgment on financial markets, with the stock falling from more than 100 euros ($109 at today's rates) 10 years ago to its all-time low of 9.01 euros in September. Ubisoft shares had fallen almost 5.6 percent on Wednesday to trade at 12.60 euros by the time markets closed, despite the good early reviews for 'Shadows.' Even before release of the hoped-for blockbuster, Ubisoft said it was 'actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options' for its future. Early rumors suggested that could involve going private with help from Chinese tech giant Tencent, a major investor that holds 10 percent of Ubisoft. More recently, multiple outlets have reported that the group could sell off much of its games catalogue to focus on its core titles. 'Every option is on the table' for Ubisoft's future, Planade said, with commercial success for 'Shadows' likely to strengthen Ubisoft's hand in the negotiations.
